Top 10 Songs That Led Zeppelin Ripped Off

Metal_Treasure
All musicians are influenced by somebody else and it's normal to trace some slight influences but beyond certain extent it's already too much - it's called plagiarism.

Many music artists were sued but Led Zeppelin are the Olympic champions - they did it many times and their plagiarism is the most brutal one because they stole entire songs with music and lyrics, and often with the song titles. Too many Led Zeppelin songs are actually uncredited covers.

Led Zeppelin were sued over all songs on this list, except one because it's a traditional song and no one is able to claim ownership (In My Time of Dying).

Before voting, adding comments or new items, you ideally should give a listen to the songs you don't know. They are available on youtube.

The Top Ten

1Dazed and Confused - Jake Holmes

My mother was very surprised when I told her this ages ago. Just shows, doesn't it? - IronSabbathPriest

It's essentially the same song - music, lyrics and absolutely the same song title! It's an uncredited cover. Jake Holmes released this song in 1967. - Metal_Treasure

Led Zeppelin is my favorite cover band. - Brobusky

It’s a cover, not a rip off.

Jake Holmes was added to the credits at a later stage. So initially it was a rip off. - Metal_Treasure

A lot of Blues musicians ripped each other off in the 1920's and 1930's and nobody cared because they were stealing from each other, so is it bad if Led Zeppelin did the same? - Rambles

Uncredited cover. - Metal_Treasure

Again, another cover.

Uncredited cover. Meaning, Willie Dixon wasn't credited, Led Zeppelin members were. Willie Dixon was credited at a later stage. Same for all songs you say are covers. Now we know they are covers because after many decades Led Zeppelin were asked (or sued over) to include the real authors. - Metal_Treasure

It was a total rip-off from the heavy metal version by the Jeff Beck Group, they made this Willie Dixon cover know by white audiances and Zepp just copy'd this song from note to frasing. - phr

3You Need Loving' - The Small Faces

Whole Lotta Rip Off... Almost everything is the same - music, lyrics and the keyword in the title (love).

It’s known that Page and Plant used to see The Small Faces live and Robert Plant even sounds like the singer of The Small Faces (Steve Marriott). - Metal_Treasure

The song sounds kind of similar and has one word in common in the title and it’s a ripoff? Jesus! That’s like saying Fade To Black by Metallica ripped off Beyond The Realms Of Death by Judas Priest, even though Priest’s song is better.

4You Need Love - Muddy Waters

Whole Lotta Rip Off - 2.

This Muddy Waters song was actually ripped off twice - ’You Need Loving’ by The Small Faces is also a blatant rip off. The original is by Muddy Waters - You Need Love. That’s why in the most sources you will read that Led Zeppelin stole the song from Muddy Waters - it’s true but it’s not the whole truth.

Led Zeppelin stole the song from The Small Faces - there are more similarities between Led Zeppelin and The Small Faces but there are still lots of similarities between Led Zeppelin and the original by Muddy Waters. It's just because both illegal versions were quite verbatim. - Metal_Treasure

Sorry, Metal_Treasure, but this list is terrible.

5Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Joan Baez

This Joan Baez song is a cover that became more popular than the original - a folk song by Anne Bredon recorded with The Plebs. Led Zeppelin ripped off the Joan Baez cover version and that's why there are more similarities. - Metal_Treasure

The person who wrote this was never even credited. - Caleb9000

6Taurus - Spirit

But then again, it isn't official if they did or didn't. Yes, it sounds almost exactly like it, but Page claims to have gotten permission from one of the members to use the riff and was also a huge fan of their work. But the man who supposedly gave him permission later died when trying to save his child, so there can't be any official proof. - MontyPython

Wiki: "In 2014, Mark Andes, and a trust acting on behalf of Randy California, filed a copyright infringement suit against Led Zeppelin in an attempt to obtain a writing credit for "Stairway to Heaven". Page denies copying "Taurus".

"In My Time of Dying" is a well-known traditional gospel song that has been covered by many people, including Bob Dylan (1962).Physical Graffiti's epic "In My Time of Dying" is one instance of blatant plagiarism that the members of Led Zeppelin were never sued over. The song was credited to all four Led Zeppelin members, instead of saying it's a cover, but because it's traditional, no one is able to claim ownership and sue Led Zeppelin over its supposed authorship. - Metal_Treasure

8I Can't Quit You, Baby - Willie Dixon

Uncredited cover that was later credited back Dixon. - Metal_Treasure

9Killing Floor - Howlin' Wolf

"The Lemon Song" does sound like "Killing Floor" by Howlin' Wolf, with a similar riff and lyrics. Some other parts, including the song's titular "lemon", are taken from another old blues song: Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues."Howlin' Wolf's publisher sued Led Zeppelin but Led Zeppelin preferred to settle this out of court.Howlin' Wolf is Chester Burnett's stage name. - Metal_Treasure

10The Hunter - Albert King

Led Zeppelin used this song for the second part of “How Many More Times”. - Metal_Treasure

The Contenders

11Never Again (Sweet Ride) - Moby Grape

The blues ballad "Since I've Been Loving You" was credited to Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones. However, Led Zeppelin song "shares" lots of lyrics with this song and the song's mellow atmosphere is very reminiscent of Moby Grape's "Never". - Metal_Treasure

The song sample is wrong - I hope it's gonna be fixed soon.Update (2 years later): it wasn't fixed yet despite my error reports.The correct song is Never and not Never Again (Sweet Ride) - these are 2 different songs by the same person, Moby Grape - Metal_Treasure

12How Many More Years - Howlin’ Wolf

Led Zeppelin used this song in the first part of “How Many More Times” and obviously the title where Led Zeppelin bothered to change only one word (replaced “years” with “times”). - Metal_Treasure

13Nervous Breakdown - Eddie Cochran

Led Zeppelin were a bit more creative here - replaced the word 'Nervous' in the title with 'Communication'. - Metal_Treasure